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At least 11 people have been killed and 29 others injured, including two police officers, following a mass shooting at Bondi Beach in Sydney, Australian police have confirmed.
One man believed to be among the attackers was shot dead at the scene, while a second suspected gunman is in critical condition.
Aljazeera reports that authorities have classified the attack as a terrorist incident, saying it was deliberately aimed at Sydney’s Jewish community on the first day of Hanukkah.
The shooting occurred as hundreds of people gathered at Bondi Beach for Chanukah by the Sea, an event marking the beginning of the Jewish festival.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese strongly condemned the assault, describing it as a “targeted” act of violence and saying the scale of evil involved was “beyond comprehension”.
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Mass shootings are rare in Australia due to the country’s strict gun control laws. However, the nation has experienced several deadly incidents over the years. Notable cases include:
April 1996: Martin Bryant killed 35 people and wounded 23 during a shooting rampage at the Port Arthur tourist precinct in Tasmania.
September 2014: A farmer shot and killed his wife and three children near Lockhart in New South Wales before taking his own life.
December 2014: Three people died during a police operation at Sydney’s Lindt Café, where an Iran-born self-styled cleric had taken 18 hostages.
May 2018: A farmer killed six family members before committing suicide in Western Australia.
June 2019: A man on parole fatally shot four men and injured a woman in Darwin.
December 2022: Six people died during a gun battle at a rural property in Wieambilla, Queensland, in which two police officers were killed. Three shooters and a neighbour were later shot dead by police.
Investigations into the Bondi Beach attack are ongoing as authorities work to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
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